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[p]Crucible

WARNING: This thread contains material exceeding the general board rating of PG-13. It may contain very strong language, drug usage, graphic violence, or graphic sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.

Guillen had found fortune in his wanderings to the southeast, fate bringing him to an injured coydog, or perhaps coywolf. That she obviously carried coyote blood in her was enough for the wolf to label her as lesser than himself, and to not flinch at giving her more to worry about than the gash that he'd found her with. It had been a long journey, a great deal of it carrying the female, and in the end the only treatment she was liable to need were stitches and bed rest. It wasn't enough to satisfy the male, breaking, and resetting the youth's bone was his way of making up for that defecit, an excuse to hold onto the female for far longer than he would have needed to otherwise. He had already held her for nearly half a week, only the beginning if he had his way.

It was her that he was out in the woods for, a second mouth to feed meaning he spend more time hunting, the large wolf stalking not so far from his new home that his new play thing could wander too far before he returned. Deer was his intended prey, though he would have settled for rabbit as well, which was all he found in the end, long ears on a pair of them serving handles to carry them by. Guillen's free hand carrying the spear that still had blood from his quarry on the tip, a beacon for anyone that might be drawn to the scent, not that he particularly cared. With the sun on it's way toward the horizon, he had turned back toward home, more than enough time for the leisurely pace that he set.

His lumbering form slowed to a halt as a scent caught his attention, a canine, and not so far away that it would take a long time for him to check it out. If it was someone looking for his 'guest', the wolf wanted to know about it. If he'd been found out already, it would have been a record, but as he drew closer to where the stranger lay, it became less likely that they were hunting anything at all, let alone the hybrid he'd snatched up. When he actually laid eyes on the coyote, that much was painfully clear, bringing a sadistic grin to the wolf, his amber eyes alight as he took in the scene. Fate had indeed brought him to the area, his luck far too grand for any other explanation.

Avatar by Nat

Loners
Wolf

Vale

It was foolish to have left Inferni without saying anything to her family about where she was going. It was even more foolish knowing that she had done so more than a hundred times over the most recent months. No one knew where she was. No one knew what she was doing. No one knew she was hurt. The pain was the worst thing she had ever felt but it did not compare to the blow that had been dealt to her pride. She had never broken a bone before and it didn't take a genius to tell that that was exactly what the tree had done.

Her arm hurt badly, so much so that she didn't want to move it, not that she could have anyway with the entire weight of the small tree having collapsed upon her. She had tried the first day, had cried out in whining yelps to the forest around her for someone to help. No one came. Not even a squirrel.

Rather than move, she had found solace in the silence of the forest around her. There were birds in the sky, vultures and ravens that had come to the scent of blood and, no doubt, the more provocative of the scents around her, death. She could see them, hear their taunting cries and croons. The ravens, some of them, spoke broken high language they had no doubt learned from passing canines. Those were the worst for they taunted her stupidity and she couldn't help but flatten her ears against her hair. Shifting was not an option, not with the angle her arm sat at. It would only have injured her more.

She had given up hope when the strange wolf broke through the clearing. At first, she felt relieved. Then came the serious doubt and the disgust she often felt when she came in contact with them as her upbringing dictated. Malevolent, wolves were not to be trusted. They were even worse than the demons spoken about in the bible. Her eyes followed him for as long as they could before she lay her head back on the ground and gave up once more.

The only thing worse than accepting one's fate was the momentary hope that came up in droves when you thought you were saved, when you had accepted, once more, that life was going to be granted and go back to normal... only to have it stripped from you a moment later.

Dread

Guillen was intentionally slow in his approach, not out of fear that she might snap at him, but to savor the moment. From the way she was pinned under the tree, the wolf suspected it might have been enough for something to break, he hoped something had broken. If it had, it was he that would get to set the bone, to fashion the brace that would keep it from moving out of place again, and of course tend to the coyote that he'd stumbled upon. Consent on her part wasn't necessarily required, at least not in Guillen's eyes, more than happy to drag the female back to his home, just as he had with the coydog he already tended to.

”Fate seems to have placed you where I'd stumble upon you... Which is lucky for you, a chance to not wither away.” Guillen voiced his belief that it had been some variety of fate that had brought them together, the wolf not exceptionally spiritual, but quick to believe good things were meant for him. Unless she showed some sort of overt aggression toward him, the wolf intended to wander right up to where she was pinned, crouching down in front of her in the process. Up close, he could see the little bit of gap that he would be able to get something under to pry her loose, a gap that had probably spared her arm worse than it got gotten.

”Can you feel your fingers? How long have you been laying here like this? From the birds, I'd guess a while...” Guillen continued, an almost business like tone as he tried to assess how bad off the coyote was, if she would even be worth attempting to save. As a way to test her, to see how much trouble she might prove to be, Guillen attempted to reach toward her, a slow deliberate motion that gave plenty of time for her to notice and react.

Avatar by Nat

Loners
Wolf

Vale

The ground was rough against her head. It made her want to shield some of that with the back of her forearm. After all, she was in a position where that was likely. However, she heard him approaching and that was a big warning side to her. She was helpless behind on the ground beneath this heavy tree limb. The only thing she could do was snap and bite and scratch with her free hand if he got close enough for her to do so. All of that required putting her trapped arm through the wringer in order for her move but it was worth it if it saved her life and despite losing hope, she still despised wolves and everything to do with them.

The stranger, even if they seemed to want to help, gave off an aura that suggested ulterior motives. She could smell that even from where she lay.

She did not move while he approached or as he bent down to peer at the space between the ground, the tree, and her arm. It wasn't until she heard him ask his questions, heard his voice, that she felt him coming closer. If he wanted to help, he wouldn't have tried coming to her side of the tree. He would have stayed on his own. "It's none of your business," she croaked, her voice weak from both the hunger pangs coursing through her abdomen and, of course, the small bit of blood flow that had been trickling from whatever kind of open wound she had garnered from the falling tree. "Why would you help me?"

Despite being weak, feeling week, the moment she felt like he was there, his presence lingering in the space above her, she let a snarl crackle from her throat and she snapped heavy, sharp teeth at his face. "Stay on your side if you're going to help. Just get this damn thing off of me," she suggested, urged, coaxed, demanded.

Dread

He had crouched close to her, rather than the other side of the tree limb that had her pinned, if his only goal had been to free her, he could have done so from the other side. Guillen was in no rush however, his cold amber eyes watching for some sign that the coyote was as submissive as the other had been, and at least expected her to not snap at someone while she was still trapped. Her voice gave clues to how long she had been trapped, thirst and hunger likely from the sound of things, but also let him know that she held more fire than the other woman he'd taken captive. That fire hot enough to cause the stranger's teeth to snap dangerously close to his face, Guillen just barely escaping the aggressive gesture.

His response was an immediate rumbling growl, his lips pulling up to show his teeth at what he considered to be a lesser. ”Not the brightest coyote are you?” Guillen taunted, but didn't immediately physically retaliate, his amber gaze attempting to stare the woman down while he continued to speak ”By all rights you'd probably starve out here, if thirst didn't take you first... picked clean by the birds before anyone found you~”. The wolf did his best to describe a grim future for the female, a slow miserable end that wouldn't even have the comfort of a proper burial, and it was then that the wolf tried to swiftly reach for Crucible's scruff.

There was nothing gentle about Guillen's attempt to shove the coyote against the ground, to prevent a repeat of her attempt at biting him. ”But you're lucky, a wolf has decided that you're worth saving~ Fate is going to allow you to keep living, but unless you want to be very miserable, you should learn how to act at least a little grateful for it.” Guillen added during the effort to pin the coyote, an angry snarl accompanying the assault, but was attentive all the same for some sign that she might be yielding.

From where he was, the limb looked like he would be able to get it off of the stranger, but making certain that she was compliant before letting her run free was at the top of his to do list. Even if the coyote's broken arm, and poor state should have been near the top as a healer.

Avatar by Nat

Loners
Wolf

Vale

She was submissive to a point but generally that was with a coyote male, not a wolf who threatened her very existence. She was not going to be so easily pliable to the other's desires and wants. Her vermilion gaze bordered along growling territory. It was easy to convey one's hatred through their vision. She expected herself to die of starvation, to die of lack of blood flow, all of which would have been slow. At least with the blood loss, there would have been lack of pain. She could have just fallen asleep.

Starving to death was another story altogether since your body literally ate your muscle mass and all the fat reserves left over before finally attacking your inner organs. She would have truly been crazed if he had caught her during a time like that.

She was not afraid of death, though. Her God would see her home, even if her last rites were to be given by a family member or passerbyer who approached. That's why the man's grim story did not frighten her anymore than she already was, being pinned her, harassed by this wolf who no longer seemed to want to help because of his ulterior motives, something she'd sensed before. Her ears pinned to the sides of her head, his growl nothing less than frightening to say the least. "I'm smarter than you, you stupid oaf. Just get it over with, why don't you? You're gonna kill me, ri--" unfortunately, she never gets the words from her mouth.

That moment, his hand clasps against the scruff at the back of her neck and her head is roughly tugged back, baring her throat with the slight arch of her body that instinctively fights against the tugging motion. She goes silent, his words a taunt in her ear. If he's going to save her, well, it's best she goes still and silent, at least till her arm is set free. Then she can make a dart for it. That's as much leeway, in her opinion, as he's ever going to get.

Dread

Guillen felt a sense of smug satisfaction when he succeeded in grasping the coyote by her scruff, even more so when he forced the trapped female to bare her throat for him. The temptation was where to do more harm to her, fulfill the woman's apparent belief that he was going to hurt her, but the wolf just held her there for a while instead. ”You aren't that smart... if you think I'd just kill you for no good reason. That would be a waste.” Guillen finally replied, hid voice cold as he implied that she wouldn't be killed.

”I'm going to let you go now, and you're going to keep doing what you're doing now... “ Guillen continued, the hold on Crucible's scruff becoming a little less oppressive the longer he spoke, as much a test as it was a backhanded kindness, ending with his hand petting along her for a few inches. He didn't intend to wait and see if she tried to bite him again however, and rose from alongside her, and started over to where he thought would be the best place to shift the fallen tree. He settled into trying to free the coyote, gleefully imagining the task of tending to the woman's wounds once he'd brought her home.

Despite the eagerness with which he imagined the future, Guillen took his time in reaching for a large sturdy looking branch, and brought it back over close to the woman. ”Don't make me run you down, you wouldn't get far with the way you are~” the wolf warned one last time, before wedging one end of the branch near where she was pinned, and starting to strain against the other. It wasn't likely that he'd be able to lift the thing entirely, but just enough for her to move would be enough for her to get free. It happened slowly, but it shifted with the man's efforts, enough that the coyote would be able to get free if she put in effort on her part.

”Hurry up... I'm not gonna hold this forever.” Guillen snapped, expecting her to move, and was quick to drop it back down if she moved clear.

Avatar by Nat

Loners
Wolf

Vale

Wolves didn't need a reason to kill. Some of them, of course, were more devious than others in their ways of doing so, though. She imagined after she was free, when she finally had the chance and ability to run, that he would be much faster than she in her weaker state. That didn't keep her mind from being set on her task, though. She took her insults probably like she took her parents' lessons, every lesson aside from those about wolves and her religion. In one ear and out the other. When he moved, her head settled back on the ground and she no longer looked his way. She figured she would feel the movement of the limb once it finally got to moving and boy was she right.

She had never felt such an intense pain before in her life. Then again, she had never broken something before. The pain was on such a scale that she might have considered it the worst she'd ever felt in her life and it took everything she had, even when he'd only nudged it aside a short distance, not to pass out.

When she was finally in the clear and she could no longer feel its weight, she moved to roll over, hooking that arm with her good one so that she could quickly rise to her feet. It only took a moment between glancing him over and watching his position near the log for her to make the attempt at escape that he had warned her about, not even bothering to pay heed to his warning.

She only heard the log falling, the footsteps behind her and the wind at her hair before the hunger pangs set in again and she felt herself slow. The world spun around her, weakness, hunger and blood loss from the jagged rip in both flesh and fur at her arm where part of a branch had pierced the flesh, put her on her ass and set the remainder of whatever she had in her stomach onto the earth beside her. She was still trying to catch her breath. Maybe it had been longer since she'd eaten than the day she had left. She couldn't even recall it right now.

Dread

Guillen strained to keep the coyote freed, at least long enough for her to slip out from under it, and where he could get a better look at her injuries. He'd expected the woman to heed his warning, believing she was at least clever enough to realize that running wouldn't work. Instead of playing along as Guillen had demanded, she instead bolted for freedom, a fact that took a moment or two for the large male to notice. He dropped the weight that he had struggled to hold, the wolf snarling in the direction that she had gone, before the male started to chase after her.

He hadn't planned to be particularly gentle, she was just a coyote in the man's eyes after all, but her flight stirred a desire to punish her. Not only had she refused his demand, but Guillen felt a hint of outrage that she apparently planned to just leave after being helped. If she had been in better shape, the impromptu hunt might have lasted longer, but to Guillen's relief, she slowed, and then started to retch. It took a great dill of his willpower to not tackle the coyote, maybe inflict a little bit more harm than she already had, but he abruptly slowed once he was closer. ”Not as bright as I thought you were...” the wolf snapped, while trying to grab for the scruff of her neck.

Guillen was far from gentle, digging into her nape to inflict a little bit of pain for his trouble, before yanking to draw her ear close to his snarlling muzzle. ”You must really want to make this worse for yourself...” Guillen snapped, voice trailing off as he started pulling her up, intending to start leading the yote back toward the home he shared with the younger coyote hybrid. ”Behave like a good coyote, and maybe I'll forget you tried to run.” Guillen added, a slightly less aggressive tone for the carrot on a stick that he'd offered. It was a lie of course, the wolf usually more than vindictive enough to remember 'wrongs' more than long enough to try and get even.

Avatar by Nat

Loners
Wolf

Vale

White spots speckled her vision, her stomach heaving for breaths that were hard to find in the span of the few moments it took for the wolf to approach her from behind. Her escape was far from opportune and she had wasted it by not being very bright in her plan. It would have probably been better for her to go with whatever he said till she finally had food. Now she had his hands at the back of her neck, claws digging into the soft flesh and fur there, tugging her slowly to her feet and in the direction of a place she probably did not know.

No longer consigned to the illusions of potential death, her mind sped a hundred miles per hour as both hands, only the uninjured one succeeding, rose to grip at the stranger's wrist, doing her best to struggle momentarily against his grip to free herself from him.

Unfortunately, weak from hunger and from blood loss, not to the point that she was going to die but enough that she had to take a moment to breath, she found herself following him without much reproach, her hands tumbling down to her sides, a sharp whine cracking from her lips, a moment later as his words coaxed and taunted at her sanity and intelligence.

She hated wolves. More then than she ever had. She had never let herself be caught the way she was this time, though one couldn't blame her. "If you let me go, my pack won't have to know about this," she half-threatened, her voice gravelly from both the pain raging through her arm and her dry vocal chords. Despite the fact that she could handle herself, on a normal occasion, having a brother was a godsend, especially one as vigilant as Antioch. There were also her other brothers to contend with, even if they weren't around. Injured, her pride was the least of her worries.

To throw insult to injury, she offered a small, not very sincere, grin back at him with a half-turn of her head. "I won't have to tell my brothers who'll rip your arms off and shove them up your own ass."